Women Talk

Well, this is an update on my condition after stopping the birth control pills. I was actually expecting my period to be erratic during the first few months after stopping the pills, but turned out that my period came pretty much on time and it was LIGHT, too (no stomach cramps whatsoever). YIIIIIIIHAAAAAA!!!!

I used to have SUCH heavy periods during my teenage years that I kept on producing a huge blood spot at the back of my skirt (we wore uniforms at school). I hated that so much since it was embarrassing. Plus back then I think the sanitary pads weren't too highly absorbent and they weren't winged. I LOVE winged sanitary pads!!! They're really amazing he he he he...plus these days they are really MUCH thinner than what they used to be.

Funny thing was that I began to feel PMS more than when I was still taking the birth control pills. Or maybe another cause is that I've been busier these days and when I get tired, it's easy for me to be cranky. I'm SO grateful that my hubby isn't someone who's easily angered or upset. However, I promise myself that I'd do anything within my power to control myself when PMS hits me he he he...

I must say, though, that I don't really like making love with condoms, but what more can I say? I don't want to be pregnant yet since I want to go to Indonesia first after my course is finished, so I just have to bear it until then and I'm looking forward to the days without condoms. ;-D

One thing about PMS...I'd LOVE it if men can undergo just one day when PMS hits a woman so badly...maybe then they'll understand better what's going on he he he he...because honestly speaking, it's really indescribable sometimes. Funny thing is that I had been PMS free during my pill days. Weird, isn't it? Strange but true he he he...

Anyway, I SALUTE men who put up with women during their PMS days and don't make silly jokes about it and don't say anything negative about it. :-D

My New Nickname + Language Mix-Up

Most of my relatives call me either "Cici" (Big Sister) or "Lia", whereas my school and university friends call me "Amel" or "Mel". However, now I have a new nickname ha ha ha ha ha...It's "Ameli" (pronounced like "Amelie" in French).

Who's been calling me "Ameli"? My mother-in-law and my current Finnish teacher he he he...Now why don't you share with me your nicknames, as well, if you want to?

Oh, almost forgot...I used to be called "Cidut" as well (Cici gendut = fat big sister). I got that nickname since I was almost always chubby. I certainly don't like that nickname, but gladly after a while my family stopped calling me that he he he...Well, mostly my naughty brother was the one using that nickname to call me!!!

Speaking of languages, I find that sometimes my brain gets so muddled up that I mix everything up. For example, sometimes when I come home and Arttu says something to me in English, I'd immediately try to think in Finnish (I try to focus as though I'm listening to Finnish). ARRRGGGHHH!!! Of course it makes me unable to understand what he's saying...and then I'd ask him to repeat himself...and I still try to think in Finnish, but then a second later I realize that he wasn't speaking in Finnish (of course not!!!).

And in the classroom, sometimes I forget the English terms and I only remember the Indonesian terms...and thus I have trouble finding the Finnish terms since my dictionary is English-Finnish-English HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...Oh dear...

I talked about this to my female French friend and she has also experienced the same thing! She knows French, English, Spanish, and German. She said that sometimes when she heard some words in Finnish that were similar to Spanish words, she immediately started to think in Spanish and of course it didn't make any sense hi hi hi...

I LOVE the fact that going to a classroom means that I can relate to other students' problems and we can share our problems and more often than not, we'll be able to understand them COMPLETELY 'coz we're in the same boats he he he he...That's another good thing about the course: having your own support group he he he...

Anyway, I'll stop here and blog-hop a bit, then I have to take a nap before the party starts. Have a SWELL weekend, everybody!!!! ;-D

Want to Invest?

Do you have some spare money that you'd like to invest? Well, why don't you consider checking out www.azlandcompany.com? They are experts in finding the best-priced Arizona land or Arizona property for you. Why? Because they have been around for 15 years and they are totally knowledgeable in 1031 tax exchange in Arizona.

Why Arizona? Well, they're growing very fast, so you can be sure that the value of the land or property in this state will be going up all the time. So, in case you don't plan on doing anything to the land you buy or living in the property you buy, you can resell it later on and get a huge profit from it.

Arizona Land Company offers various investment property, such as horse property, retirement property, even long-term, short-term, and commercial property. If you don't find what you're looking for, you can contact them by filling in a simple form, stating your identification and what type of property or land that you are interested in buying and whether you need financing or not.

Other than that, they also provide important links, such as Arizona Department of Water Resources, FEMA flood information, and many more. After all, this type of information is very crucial. Having good investment strategies is a must before you decide on buying some land or property. You see, my Mom's elder sister bought a house in a rush and then a few years later she found out that the government had been planning on building a main road that crossed almost half of her house, so she's going to lose A LOT in the end since she wasn't careful enough.

Well, if I have much money to spare, I'll definitely consider investing it by buying some land or property, whether it is Arizona land or Finnish land or property. It'd be nice to be able to get some passive income, don't you think so?

Leap Year Day Tradition

In Finland on Leap Year Day there's this funny tradition where women are allowed to propose to guys and if the guys say no, then they have to buy the women a skirt he he he he...

I then asked hubby and his brother what would happen if the guys said yes. I was wondering if the women had to buy the engagement ring as well HA HA HA HA...They said, "Well, of course then the guys had to buy the ring and then they would get married."

I then asked if such a thing ever happened that they had known of. Apparently this is just a tradition, so they don't know of anybody who has ever proposed a guy and then get married.

One thing for sure, though...if there is a woman who proposes and the guy says no, I don't think that a skirt would be enough consolation "prize" for her, don't you think so? *wink*

Enjoy your weekend, everybody!!! Today I'm gonna be busy again since Jarppa (R2's second brother) is going to throw a party. He's only inviting some friends and his girlfriend is only inviting several friends. I guess the object of the party is to let them know that Jarppa's now residing in Sodankylä with his girl he he he he...And I bet it's gonna be a LONG night at the bars and karaoke, so I have to take a nap first before the party starts at around 8 pm. So don't wonder if I can't blog-hop until late Saturday or Sunday. ;-D

3BT: Random Days

1. Hubby putting up with my crankiness. I woke up cranky after one nap since I had to do all the paperwork, but he was still his calm, funny self. ;-D BLESS HIM!!!

2. Saying sorry to hubby that I had been cranky and angry.

3. Hubby rubbing some lotion to my back on the itchy parts that I couldn't reach easily on my own.

4. Not minding it even though I make mistakes in the classroom. ;-D

5. Being able to steal a kiss again from hubby in the kitchen the other day in the morning before my course started HUE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...And we've been passing by each other in the building and flirting a bit HO HO HO HO HO HO...

6. Seeing hubby in action today in the classroom. The teacher wanted to play a DVD, but she couldn't find the DVD player and she wasn't sure how to turn on the projector. Hubby came in to help out he he he...

7. Watching sunlight streaming through the trees and branches.

8. Hubby doing something special just to entertain me (I can't describe more here HE HE HE HE HE), but I REALLY appreciate it since he does it just to make me smile he he he...

9. Running a little bit late to the course and while I was hurrying up walking there, a car passed me by and stopped a few metres away - it was MC and her husband he he he...so I didn't have to walk hurriedly the rest of the way he he he he...

Who Am I - Casting Crowns

I REALLY LOVE this song, so let me share it with you he he he...This is "Who Am I" by Casting Crowns.

Operation Speak Up Update

Remember my post entitled "Operation Speak Up"? Karen encouraged me to start that operation and she even created the icon especially for me HE HE HE HE...THANKS again, Karen!!!


Well, today due to my canker sore or mouth ulcer (or sariawan in Indonesian), I went to the pharmacy to buy some medicine. My Brit friend MC (BLESS HER!!!) brought some Bonjela to the classroom since she read about my affliction in this blog. However, I wanted to try practising my Finnish at the pharmacy, so I went there after my course was over he he he he...

Funny thing was that it felt natural for me to try and speak Finnish to those people there, even though they did speak proper English. The course has really helped me feel natural in speaking Finnish, even though I haven't really practised it much with my in-laws (I MUST do it this weekend!!!).

You see, if there's somebody who is talkative near me, I tend to let that person speak instead. Since Jarppa (Arttu's second brother) has been going with us to my in-laws every Saturday, I have been pretty silent in front of my mother-in-law ha ha ha ha...But I'm going to really force myself to talk to her this weekend. I PROMISE he he he he...

But anyway, today felt SO good, because last December during the Christmas party with my other classmates (from the evening class), I didn't even try to speak in Finnish to the cashier/waitress when I ordered my pizza he he he he...My Brit friend MC tried to make me speak Finnish, but I didn't do it 'coz it felt somehow unnatural hi hi hi hi hi...Oh well...at least now I know I AM making progress in the speaking department ha ha ha ha...

OK, I'll end this post here since I have other things to say, but the topic is different. I just wanna let you all know my progress in this operation hi hi hi...;-D Oh, and another thing...I care less about making mistakes when speaking Finnish...as long as I can make the other person understand it, then it's OK. Of course I still try to think of the grammar, but I don't really mind it even if I do make mistakes. YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! ;-D It feels GOOOOOOOOODDDDD, Babbyyyy he he he...

P.S. I took this below icon from glitter-graphics.com.

Trade Show Exhibits

Business owners, are you in dire need of professionally made trade show exhibits? If you need affordable banner stands, director chairs, or custom printed table covers for the upcoming trade events, why don't you check out the links?

They offer plenty of table covers to choose, for example:

1. Maxi print table covers.
2. Full color table covers.
3. Contour covers.
4. Non-woven disposable throw covers.
5. Adjust-to-fit blank throw covers.
6. Many more.

Here's a picture of the full color table cover:


They also offer quality tablecloths for multiple purposes, wedding lace, beautiful chair covers, and presentation tools. They're even offering budget panel systems that are already packaged and ready to be shipped! So, if making people go "wow" is your intention, you should really check this site out since it has many options for you at an affordable price!

It Stings!

I've been afflicted by canker sores (sariawan in Indonesian) for a few days. Too bad I didn't bring the Chinese powder for canker sores from Indonesia, so I googled up "canker sores home remedy". I tried the water and salt solution already, but it wasn't really helpful. I'm currently trying the "baking powder paste" (baking powder plus a little water) by applying it on my canker sore. YIKES, it stinnngggzzzzz! However, I sure hope that it's gonna go away soon. I have to avoid spicy food for a while...hmmmm...

Anyway, yesterday I received these funny pictures from my cousin who lives in Jakarta. These pictures prove that "two wrongs don't make a right" HE HE HE HE HE HE...





OK, now I've gotta DO MY HOMEWORK he he he...Take care everybody! ;-D

Speed Test

Since everybody seems to have done this test, it makes me curious he he he...Here's my result:

95 words

Speed test

Message In A Bottle Meme

Liza tagged me to do this interesting meme he he he...Here goes:

Here are the rules:

You are about to send a virtual Message In a Bottle across the Blog Ocean. Leave a message in the sand or on the bottle. Write anything you wish. Be a pirate or a poet. Serious or silly. Anonymous or not. What message would you like to send out to the universe?

Message In A Bottle Meme

1. Compose a message to place in your virtual bottle.

2. Right click and SAVE the blank graphic below

3. Use a graphics program of your choice to place the message on the picture.

4. Post the Message In a Bottle meme and your creation on your blog along with these rules.

5. Tag a minimum of 5 bloggers - or your entire blogroll - to do the same. Notify them of the tag.

Your virtual bottle will remain afloat in the blogosphere ocean for all blogernity (That’s a Mimism for blog + eternity.)

I'm not gonna tag anyone since I don't have time he he he...BUT if you're interested in doing this meme, right after you're done with your post, go over to Mimi’s and ADD your site to her Mr. Linky list and place your blog’s name and URL in a comment HERE TO LET MIMI KNOW YOU’VE COMPLETED THE MEME. Mimi will add it to the master list of message bottles. Email mimiwrites2005 at yahoo.com if you have questions. Participation is optional.

Anyway, here's my message in a bottle:

Personalized Number Plates

Those of you who live in the UK, I find a website that offers personalized car registrations for you. The site sells specialized private plate numbers where you can type in initials and numbers to make your own private number plate. Other than that, they're also willing to buy quality private number plates where you don't need to pay if there's no sale. You can also send an inquiry or call them to get more info if there is a specific private number plate that you really like.

Anyway, if you're like me, you'll also be interested in clicking their bargain personalized number plates. They're having a huge reduction (up to 50%) on plenty of plate numbers. The good thing about this site is that if you buy a private number plate from them, you don't have to worry about doing the transfer procedure yourself. But in case you're interested in reading about it, you can click here.

The site itself is pretty user-friendly. However, I think it should be a bit bolder in using bigger font choices for headings, more bold letters in the sidebar, and different text colours so that it will be more catchy on the eye and easier to read. :-))))

Toadally Awesome Award

Wifespeak has shared this award with me. THANKS SO MUUUCCCHHHH for this!!! I truly appreciate it!



I can't spend time to blog-hop today 'coz I'm SO tired right now, so I'm going to take a nap. I still have some papers to fill in (bureaucratic papers that I need to fill in) and I also have a bit homework and I need to review my lessons and learn some more. Hopefully tomorrow I can blog-hop.

GTKY Tag

Wifespeak tagged me to do this meme.

Here are the rules:

Copy this entire list of questions and change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then tag and pass it along to other blogging friends. Let’s see how well we can get to know one another!

1. What is your occupation?
Student and housewife.

2. What color are your socks right now?
Brownnnnn.

3. What are you listening to right now?
I'm not listening to any music right now.

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Fried rice with chicken and veggies.

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
I can't drive a car, but I can ride a bicycle.

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
BLUEEE!!!!!

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
Hubby. I called him to ask about a specific product at the supermarket since I wasn't sure what it was for.

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Sure. She writes excellent posts and articles about many topics, especially parenting.

9. Favorite drink?
Milk and plain water.

10. What is your favorite sport to watch?
Hmmmm...not sure. I don't really watch many sports, but I do love to watch figure skating and some events in the Olympics (swimming, gymnastics, running events).

11. Have you ever dyed your hair?
Nope. I was tempted to do it but I was afraid the chemicals would ruin my hair.

12. Dog named
Never had a dog, just a cat and we named him "Mingaw"

13. Favorite food?
Too many to count: Chinese food, Sundanese food, Indonesian food, seafood, spinach lasagna, thin-crust pizza, frogs...mmmm...

14. Last movie you watched?
Beowulf with hubby last night. ;-D

15. Favorite Day of the year?
Any day when I feel on top of the world, any day with memorable memories.

16. What do you do to vent anger?
Tell somebody about it or write about it or cry.

17. What was your favorite toy as a child?
Hmmmmm...this is tough. I don't think I've ever got a fave toy. I just love playing outside with my neighbours. ;-D

18. What is your favorite, fall or spring?
I'm trying to enjoy every season no matter what it is.

19. Hugs or kisses?
Hugs AND kisses at the same time HA HA HA HA...What can I say? I'm greedy! *wink*

20. What kind of pie?
Hmmm...berry pie, I guess. ;-D

21. Do you want your friends to email you back?
Yeah, sure. ;-D

22. Who is most likely to respond?
My friends and family and relatives.

23. Who is least likely to respond?
Hmmmm...I don't know.

24. Living arrangements?
I live only with my hubby in an apartment.

25. When was the last time you cried?
Hmmm...I think when I watched I Am Legend the other day. I cried when the dog died. :-((((((

26. What is on the floor of your closet?
Boxes filled with CDs and DVDs.

27. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to?
I'm not going to send this to anyone. I also don't have much time to tag people, anyway.

28. The friend you have known the shortest amount of time that you are sending this to?
---------

29. Favorite smell?
Pine smell.

30. What inspires you?
People.

31. What are you afraid of?
The unknown.

32. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers?
CHEESE!!!!!!!!!! ;-D

33. Favorite car?
Our own HA HA HA HA HA...

34. Favorite cat breed?
Street cats. ;-D

35. Number of keys on your key ring?
One. I don't need any other key.

36. How many years at your current job?
Housewife: almost a year. Student: almost a month.

37. Favorite day of the week?
Friday evening, 'coz I can sleep late and there are still Saturday and Sunday to enjoy without having to do anything much HE HE HE HE...

38. How many provinces have you lived in?
Two: West Java and now Lapland.

39. How many countries have you been to?
Two: Singapore and Finland.

Child Care

In today's world, professional child care has become more and more important as many more women are full-time or part-time employees. Day nursery has even started booming in Indonesia as the financial situation demands both parents to work in order to support their growing family expenses.

For parents living in the UK who are trying to find reliable child care nursery, you can click on the link to visit Teddies Nurseries. It has been around for 15 years and it offers professional child care for children aged 3 months up to 5 years old. In the website you can also find important information for parents, such as information on children's health and tips on reducing the cost of child care nursery. If you're interested, why don't you check the site out?

Interesting Input

Remember my post entitled "He Listens"? Shan made an interesting input in the comment section. It made me wonder about men in general, but most especially about my own husband's view about it. I hope you don't mind about this, Shan. If you do, I can always delete this post later on ha ha ha...

Let me quote it here:

You know, I really hate to be the one that stands out from the crowd...

But the first thing that came to my mind after reading your post was something bad...

Maybe it's just me but they say the higher you are, the greater your fall is...

Men are a shallow species, believe me I know. Your treatment of your husband makes me feel that he is almost a God to you. That in many ways is very good because you will boost his ego and allow him to feel strong and secure.

Yet on another hand, it would be wise to perhaps stop what you are doing as we men get bored when there are no intrigue in our life. They say, women gives themselves up after marriage and that contributes to the break up of many happy marriages...

So, I feel that you should pull back a bit and perhaps give him a bit of intrigue and tickly his curiosity a bit. Don't give everything away.

Otherwise, I am delighted to join in the throngs of people in congratulating you!

Well, right after Arttu came back home from work just now, I asked him to read the comment and he said that it wasn't true for him. It may be true for some men (wanting a little bit of intrigue), but it isn't true for him. Well, I'm GLAD to hear him say that.

Another thing that crossed my mind when I read Shan's comment is that it's pretty difficult for me to keep something inside me, anyway. The reasons are these:

1. I've told him EVERYTHING about me. He's the only person in the world who knows EVERYTHING about me (including all the skeletons in my closet), so I don't think it'll do me any good to keep anything 'coz there's really nothing to keep. Even my other closest friends don't know THAT much about me.

2. When it comes to praising him, I don't want to keep anything since life is short. I don't wanna keep praises about him to myself and then for example the next second he has an accident and dies right on spot (GOD FORBID!!!) and I regret not saying whatever I feel about him for the rest of my life. I wanna live knowing that I've said everything good that I can towards anybody so that if I die the next minute or hour or day or that person dies soon, I have no regrets at all.

3. We never really started our relationship based on intrigue. We started our relationship based on friendship. Then the first time we started falling in love with each other, I demanded him to show me his true colours 'coz I was also committed in showing him my true colours. It's not good to base a relationship on masks. Intrigue may be interesting and fun in the beginning of a relationship (for me), but I can't live with intrigue.

I want my husband to be my best friend for as long as we shall live, even though we're going to undergo some changes in our lives due to circumstances or anything else, I still want him to share everything with me as I'll share everything with him 'coz that'll keep us close together.

4. It's TOUGH not to show your love when you're really feeling it...or for that matter, to show your disappointment or anger when you live 24/7 with somebody he he he...

Anyway, I also wanna state that my husband is imperfect, but so am I (so is everybody)...and the reason why I write down all the good things about him is that I wanna truly cherish them all. And I also wanna remember them better (human's memory isn't too reliable), so that IF for example I get mad at him, I can reread those posts about his positive sides and be reminded about those and hopefully I'll not be angry anymore. :-)))))

That said, I'm DYING to read different points of view here, especially from men HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...So, c'mon my male readers, don't be ashamed in sharing your views, puhhhhleeeezzzzzzzz...

P.S. Shan, THANKS for making me think and for making me question Arttu hi hi hi hi...It's always good to know more about men's POV in general and about Arttu's POV he he he...;-D I REALLY enjoy writing this post HE HE HE HE HE...

P.P.S. I don't believe that men are shallow beings, by the way. I still believe that are VERY GOOD DEEP men out there. Besides, there are shallow women out there, as well he he he...

glitter-graphics.com

Reversed Role

Yesterday I pushed someone away. It certainly didn't make me feel good, but it also made me feel relieved. Remember the story when my closest friends felt overwhelmed by my long emails that I wrote so often when I first moved to Finland? I leaned on them for support too much, and in the end they got burnt out. One of them told me point blank that she couldn't spare more time for me due to her life schedule. Only then I fully realized that I had been having too high expectation of them.

Well, that was what I felt about that friend whom I pushed away (let's call her Uni). She isn't one of my closest friends, but she's also a close friend. Since I have less time for myself and to do anything else after my full-time course started, I have less tolerance for anything that ruins my mood.

I know that Uni has had problems lately, but when I come back from the course, I'm tired already and it just ruins my mood to read her complaints again and again and again. It's fine to hear a complaint once, but if you're tired and you just want to relax and you read it again and again and again in different ways...after a while you get burnt out. In the end I didn't even want to read her messages anymore, let alone replied them. However, I didn't resort to not reading and not replying. I resorted to explaining to her about my situation.

I knew it would hurt like hell, just like what happened to me when one of my closest friends told me point blank about the facts of life. I HOPE she'll understand me, though right now she must be SO disappointed at me. She replied briefly to my explanation, saying, "I know you're busy right now and that you have your own life. I'm sorry to have shared my complaints with you. I'm not going to bother you anymore."

Sigh...it's not that I don't want to hear her life story, but if I keep on hearing bad news, bad news, bad news, then in the end I don't know anymore what I have to say to support her. I know the situation she's facing now sucks BIG TIME, but then again when you've done EVERYTHING you can and still you can't change it, all you can do is either find another way out or just wait until the door is open. She keeps on wanting to change everything and make it faster...she keeps on asking me to analyze, too. It's draining me out whenever I read about her messages and all I see is problem, problem, problem...

Oh well...I asked Arttu if he thought I was cruel by doing this to her and he said no. Well, one thing for sure is that now I understand MUCH better what my close friend felt when she pushed me away. And I'm glad to say that now I no longer bombard them with emails he he he he...

Save, Save, Save!

Most people love saving money and buying discounted items. Are you planning on opening a new office for your business? Do you need interesting computer offers since you're on a limited budget? Well, in this link you can find small business computer deals from PC Connection, Hewlett Packard, Dell, Apple Store and Newegg.

Many people in Indonesia usually spread flyers when they just open a new business. They hire people to spread them in the malls or on the pavement. Well, whatever business you're thinking of opening, I wish you LUCK!!! Even though starting a new business is tough, make sure you don't give up. The first two years must be the hardest of all, so you've gotta keep on striving to succeed. However, don't forget to have fun and take a break every now and then, as well, so that you don't get burnt out!

Speaking of having fun, since summer is coming soon, perhaps you should consider buying Isaac Mizrahi sunglasses or John Grisham's The Appeal so that you'll be ready for your summer holiday. Since I love reading, I'd also enjoy sunbathing in my in-laws' yard while reading the rest of the novels that I haven't read yet. I also have some non-fiction books to read. Yum yum...plenty of interesting books waiting to be read after my course ends. Anyway, cheers to our coming holiday even though it's still a few months away he he he...

I'm Gonna Be An Aunt!

Called my Mom last Saturday and she told me that my bro's wife, Shen, is one month pregnant. I could also talk to Shen a bit to congratulate her. She said that she still felt it was unreal since it all happened so fast he he he he he...

Oh well...we'll see if I can come to Indonesia after the baby is born or not. Whatever happens, I'm SO excited about this baby. I hope her pregnancy will be smooth. Both parents are also EXCITED since this is gonna be their first grandchild HE HE HE HE HE...

YIIHUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!

glitter-graphics.com

OK, time to shower after Taebo and then prepare myself to go to the course. Have a WONDERFUL start of the week, everybody! ;-D

He Listens

One thing I LOVE about hubby, even though he's not a flower guy, is the fact that he LISTENS to my needs and he makes sure that he makes me happy he he he he...

You see, the other day I noticed that he didn't come home for lunch and I asked him about it. I just thought that he didn't have time to come home. Turned out that he had eaten in one hotel's restaurant. He had gotten lots of free lunch coupons, so he had to use them. I was pouting when I heard that, since he had never taken me out to have a lunch in any restaurant here (except to buy some pizzas in a kebab restaurant - but we usually eat it home). He then told me that he could give me the coupon so that I could try eating there. I said to him that I didn't want to eat alone there. I wanted to eat in a restaurant with HIM he he he he...

glitter-graphics.com

(Side note: In all fairness, I don't really want him to take me out to a restaurant by paying the bill himself, since the price is too high and I'd really prefer his saving the money instead of using it to treat us to a restaurant.)

He said nothing else about the subject. I knew it wasn't easy for him to take me to have lunch together with him since his lunch break depended much on whether his work was done or not. Sometimes he comes back home for lunch break at 1 pm or 1.30 pm or even later than that. Only a few times he managed to come back home for lunch break at around midday.

Anyway, yesterday he came home happily since turned out that he had decided to take a day off today (he had worked overtime a few times, so he earned the day off). Then he asked me when my lunch break was. He said, "What if I pick you up on your lunch break and we can eat in the restaurant together?"

You can imagine my joy then HEEEEEEEEEEE HEEEEEEEEEEEE HEEEEEEEEE...It wasn't so much the going to the restaurant that counted, but the fact that he CARED about taking me there to have that experience with him. ;-D

Anyway, as I've told you, yesterday after my course, hubby took me and my Brit friend to my Russian friend's house and then picked us up again afterward. On the way home, he said that we should drop by at a supermarket. He was going to make PANCAKES. YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! ;-D I didn't even have to do anything hi hi hi hi...I was doing my homework when he was cooking pancakes, then he announced that it was ready, so I ate some.

glitter-graphics.com

And this morning when my alarm beeped, as usual I couldn't get up right away...he helped bug me so that I would leave the bed HA HA HA HA HA HA...I'm SO THANKFUL for him for that!!!! ;-D

When I was about to leave the house to go to my course, I saw the stack of dishes from last night and I thought to myself, "Hmmm...it'd be GREAT if he would do the dishes this time as I had no time to do it last night, but if he doesn't do it, then it's fine as well."

I came back home this afternoon and found the kitchen spic and span. HURRRAAAYYYY!!! I LOVE that guy!!!

Other than that, today I wanted to watch a movie earlier. At first he said that he wasn't in the mood to do that. However, after a while he changed his mind and we watched "I Am Legend" together HEEEEEEEEEEEE HE HE HE HE HE...That was why I grabbed him tightly and told him, "You're REALLY the love of my life" before I kissed him passionately HE HE HE HE HE HE...

Hmmm...I should send him an e-card to tell him how much I appreciate what he does. :-)))))

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So you see, my days have been S U P E R B!!!!!!!!!! I sure do hope yours has been like that, as well!

Take care, dear friends...let me blog-hop some more before I relax he he he...

Let's Move!

Relocation is something that happens around the globe. People move to a new place due to many reasons. Some people find realtors to help them find a place to stay that suits their needs and wishes. Then they hire a mover company to help them get their things to that new place.

When I still lived with my parents, we only moved once in my entire life (prior to my moving to Finland). I was almost 4 years old then and my brother was 2 years old. After we moved to our new house, my Mom told me that my brother was crying for days on end. He said that he wanted to go back to his old house. He said that the new house wasn't his house. I guess I was coping pretty well with the moving since my Mom never told me any complaints coming out of my mouth.

I love my parents' house, since I had lived there for 24 years of my life. However, my love is here in Finland, so no matter what, I had to pay the price. What's interesting is the fact that I haven't missed that house. I DO miss the people and the food, but this is my home now. I have made my decision and I'm going to make sure I enjoy every single moment of it. :-)))

Angel Baby

As I've told you, yesterday I visited my Russian friend's house with my Brit friend. It was the first time we had been to her house. It was a nice house. She has a HUGE living room. At least it is huge compared to all the other living rooms I've seen here in Lapland. :-D

My Russian friend looked GREAT. I can't believe that she still managed to bake us a cake even though her second child is only 2 weeks' old and the eldest one is 2.5 years old. When we got there, the baby was sleeping so peacefully in his crib. Mmmmm...such an angel!!! Here's a picture of him.


He doesn't have a name yet since my friend is still considering it. She has a fave name already, but then she doesn't like the Finnish version of it. Oh well...she still has time to think about it he he he...

I was a bit afraid when taking the picture since I didn't want to wake the baby up with the blitz. But then again he didn't even flinch HE HE HE HE HE...He smiled once in his sleep and he opened his eyes several times. :-)))) But he didn't even cry during the 2.5 hours we were there. Incredible!!! ;-D

Of course time flew while you were having fun...so it felt as though we were only there for an hour HA HA HA HA HA HA...My Russian friend invited us again to her house whenever we had time. I guess she must be a bit lonely, since she can't really socialize yet. Well, I'll surely want to visit her again later on when I have some spare time. :-))))

Okie dokie, time to blog-hopppppppp!!!!

Vacation Rentals

Yep, this is another post on vacation. A friend of mine who now lives in the USA REALLY loves going to Lake Tahoe. She says that if we ever visit her, she'll definitely take us there. She's been there with her husband several times already. Do you prefer going to a beach or lake or mountains on your vacation?

Well, if you're thinking of going somewhere, here are some links that may help you out:

1. Lake Tahoe Vacation Rentals.
2. North Carolina Vacation Rentals.
3. Cozumel Vacation Rentals.

Speaking of vacations, my USA friend is currently reconsidering visiting me and my friends in Europe, especially since dollar currency has been pretty week compared to euro currency these days. Well, whatever her decision is, I respect that, though I sure hope she can visit me one day. Or if I'm lucky, I'll be able to visit her as well one day. :-)))

A Hurried Post

Today, as predicted by the weatherman, it was only -7.5'C in the morning and during the afternoon it came up to -2.5'C. It was snowing lightly when I walked home from the course. SO blissful! I could almost hear the earth breathing softly to my ears...mmmm...

Anyway, today was a bit rough on everybody since we learnt the hard types of verbs and their changes he he he...and the person I mentioned in my last post had decided to stop going to the course altogether today. That person left right after lunch break after telling the teacher about the decision. That person couldn't cope with the teacher's teaching method, even though some of us had tried to share our points of view about the teacher. Oh well...no harm done, though. The course still goes on and I'm still excited about it.

I'm actually hoping for a continuation of the course. This course only covers Suomi 1 and 2, whereas I'm gonna need to pass Suomi 3 and 4 to get my citizenship in 3 years' time. I sent an email to the employment office yesterday to tell them what I thought about our teacher. I also told them that I would be happy if there would be a continuation course. They replied me and said that they were happy to hear positive feedback and they didn't know about the continuation course, but they would consider it.

OK, now I have to eat before I go to my friend's house. I have to wait for Arttu to come home first, of course he he he...so then he can take me and my Brit friend to my Russian friend's house. :-)))))

Hope your day has been swell, my friends...

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A Sample of Coining and Today's Story

Since lots of people are curious about coining, let me just give you a sample of what your back looks like after coining. I can't use my back picture, of course, so I nicked one from flickr and edited it hi hi hi...


So, first of all you rub some balm onto the skin diagonally and then scrape it with a coin. I felt as though I was being held from the back after it was done. My WHOLE back was SO warm he he he he...

Anyway, yesterday our teacher told us that she got a headache when she came home, since she had been trying to think in Finnish, English, Russian, and French in our classroom he he he...So our teacher's brain is as messy as ours are, even though in a FAR different way ha ha ha ha ha...

I've been learning more and more things these days, which is good. However, it takes time to remember everything, but I like the fact that she drills us every day. I'm getting more and more relaxed during the drills and it helps us remember sentence structures better that way.

Today Arttu popped into our classroom to give some mail to our teacher and my heart leapt when I saw him, even though it was only for two seconds HEEEEEEEEEE HEEEEEEEEEE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...

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As what normally happens, if you put 9 people together in the same room from Mondays to Fridays from 9 am until 3 pm, there's bound to be friction hi hi hi hi...Different temperaments, different points of view.

I regret to say that one of us has given up mentally, so that person hasn't been focusing on the teacher and her explanation. That person doesn't even bother anymore to ask the teacher if that person doesn't understand the explanation. I'm not going to say whether it's a he or she here since it's fairer that way. But anyway, that person thinks that the teacher is not good, which I think is SO wrong. That person thinks that the teacher skips lessons without any good reasons, even though I KNOW the reason why, but that person is so opinionated, so I won't even bother explaining it. That person went to the employment office to tell them that our teacher wasn't helpful.

My Brit friend and her hubby went to the employment office to tell them that our teacher had been VERY helpful indeed and I'm also going to send a letter to them to confirm about the same thing.

I KNOW it's hard for that person to follow the classes, but still that person doesn't know that all of us who have only been here for a year or less have been VERY lucky to get this full-time course. My Brit friend and her hubby have been waiting for this course for 4 years and they were the ones who kept on pushing the government to open this course. Alas, even though I had mentioned this fact to that person, yet that person was too bull-headed he he he he...

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OK, change of topic. These past few days it's been bright outside already since around 8.15 am and it only gets dark at around 5 pm. It feels a bit odd for me after all those dark months when it was bright outside only from around 10.30 am until 2.30 pm.

Even yesterday when I walked home, I had to put on my sunglasses already HUE HE HE HE HE...Don't get me wrong, though! That DOES NOT mean that I can sunbathe...since it's still cold out there. This morning I woke up and the temperature was -24.5'C. Gladly it went up to -13'C when I walked home. I had to put on my anorak when I walked to the course this morning. ;-D

Tomorrow evening I'm planning to visit my Russian friend (from the evening classes last year) who just gave birth, so I may not be in the blogosphere tomorrow. Don't wonder about it, OK? I'm going to visit her with my Brit friend. Arttu's going to take us there. YIPPPPPPPPPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEE!!! Girl talk!!! ;-D

OK, time to blog-hop before I start doing my homework and cook for tomorrow!!!!

Wine

I bet most of you have tasted wine or you even like drinking it. The first time I tasted white wine was on the plane to Singapore back in 2000. Some of you might remember that I went there with my Aussie emailpal and on the plane he dared me to taste it. I only took a SMALL sip of it since I just wanted to taste it, not actually drink it.

I've read somewhere that white wine is only good to drink after you eat certain types of food and red wine is only good to drink after you eat different types of food. It's all too confusing for me that I don't even remember which from which. Is it white wine that is better to drink after you eat meal or red wine? Hmmm...

Anyway, I'm really not an expert on this. And since I had an allergy break last Christmas after I went to sauna and drank cider and then we had some red wine, I can assure you that I'm going to avoid alcoholic drinks as best as I can, especially during sauna. I still drink a few sips of cider in between sauna, but no more. I'm too scared of experiencing another allergy break.

Out of Sorts Yesterday

Everyone, sorry since I haven't been able to blog-hop since yesterday. Yesterday evening after I woke up from my nap, I felt really out of sorts. It was really strange for me as I woke up feeling angry and cranky. Then I started feeling the onset of a headache and then I started feeling nauseous. It felt SO nice to lie down and close my eyes. Then I decided to drink some ginger drink with sugar, which helped me burp over and over again...but I still didn't feel like a human yet. So I asked Arttu to coin me (scrape my back with a coin and some balm) and only after that I could fart and I could feel more human again.

Thus the hiatus from the blogosphere. I'm DEAD tired again now, so I'm going to take a nap first and then I'll do my homework and blog-hop if I have more time. If not, then I'll blog-hop tomorrow, OK?

Don't worry, though, this morning I felt GREAT when I went to the course he he he...

Awards: Lucky Me!!!

Trinity has shared these three awards with me:



This award originated from Ann, who elaborated the meaning of this award as such:

"Most of us know who and what cheers us up- what we don't know is how we cheer up others or if we're making a difference in their lives. That's because we let too much time go by without telling those we appreciate how much they mean to us, until it's too late and the opportunity slips away."

"The bloggers I nominated cheer me up like Charlotte from Charlotte's Web, a box of Peanut Butter Panic from Blue Bunny Ice Cream, and a copy of a picture I have in my home of Lucy and Ethel on the job at a candy company."



This award is originated from Mademoiselle. This is what she said about this award:

"These blog award is intended only for blogger, who has that intense passion for blogging, always there at my BLOG to greet us, and finally the BLOGGER who is simply XXTRA ORDINARY"

1. Pass this to 7 or more of your worthy friends.
2. You can also pass this to the one who gave it to you.
3. Pass this award to only DESERVING bloggers.
4. No rule number four.

The third one is the one created by Trinity herself. It's called "You'll always have a room in my heart". VERY suitable for her own blog title. THANKS SO MUCH, Trin! You're SO VERY creative!!!



Max has shared with me these two awards, as well. THANKS, Buddy!!!





Right now I really don't have the energy to spread the awards, but I'd LOVE to share You Cheer Me Up award with everybody who's been with me all through the days. THANKS SO MUCH for your time and friendship!!!

Mailboxes

In Indonesia, not everybody owns mailboxes. People who live in housing complexes normally have residential mailboxes, since the developers have included them in their housing plans. My parents had only started to own a mailbox around 7 years ago, since they were renovating something in the house and the main handyman said that he could make a mailbox for them. Even so, the mailman doesn't always put the letters in the mailbox. I guess he loves handing the letters or packages personally, eh?

Speaking of mailboxes, it reminds me of the time when I tried working in a factory. They also didn't have any commercial mailboxes. If there were packages from UPS or FedEx, then they would be piled on top of the reception desk. Then each of the person who was waiting for the package themselves had to check whether the package had arrived or not. There was nobody assigned to give them out to the appropriate person or department.

Here in Finland I notice that people have their own mailboxes or at least mail slots on their apartment doors and in offices there are commercial mailboxes, as well. What is it like in your country? Does everybody have their own mailboxes? How about offices? Do they have commercial mailboxes, too?

3BT: February 15-18, 2008

1. Finding Peruvian mangoes on sale (only €1 per kilo) and this time they were SWEET!!!!

2. Feeding mangoes that I had sliced up to hubby while he was gaming online.

3. I managed to solve a riddle that my Finnish teacher gave us in class.

4. I won the last card game with my mother-in-law, Arttu, and his second brother. Mind you, I nearly lost BIG TIME, but then I managed to get lucky at the right time HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO...

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5. Hearing hubby fart over and over again hi hi hi hi...'coz that means he's still alive and he's with me!!!! ;-D

6. Feeling useful in this world, particularly due to blogging. *grin*

7. Knowing that one of my closest friends didn't take my words the wrong way. The other day I replied her email in a rush and the next minute I realized that it could have been taken the wrong way. Phew!!! That's a HUGE relief! ;-D

8. Receiving an email from my Mom (typed by my brother) and hearing news that they're well in Bandung.

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9. Hubby told me that his fingers had "shrunk" as his wedding ring felt more loose than before. I was afraid that he'd lose it, so I suggested to him to move it to his middle finger, but he refused HI HI HI HI HI HI...He was so bent on showing the world that he was married.

10. Hubby warning me to be careful with a can of tuna he helped open for me. He didn't want me to get hurt. :-D

11. Today (Sunday) is such a SUNNY day. It was sunny ALL day long that I couldn't believe it myself. Spring is definitely coming he he he he...

12. Getting more rest during the afternoon to prepare myself for the new week ahead.

13. Having a small apartment. The less I have, the less I have to take care of HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...This apartment isn't high maintenance, so that's WONDERFUL for me!!! ;-D

14. Hubby making us some oven-baked tuna/cheese sandwich. It's nice not having to do anything but eat for a change HA HA HA HA HA HA...

Moon, Thou Art Shining So Brightly Tonight!

Hi, everybody!

Hope your weekend has been fine. I think tomorrow I may need more nap since I couldn't take a nap yesterday, so I'd better write this post today than tomorrow he he...Before I begin, let me just share some pictures that I took a while ago with my mobile. Since I didn't have any USB cable to connect my mobile with my computer, I had to send them to Arttu's mobile first ha ha ha...

First pic: Heavily-pregnant Arttu HA HA HA HA...Gee, I hope he won't kill me if he finds out that I put up this pic hi hi hi...but it was too funny to keep by myself HO HO HO...




The other pics were taken only the other day when I walked back home from school. I went to Lidl and when I came out from there, I saw a plane making a VERRRRYYYYYY long smoke tail. It was breathtaking since it was also a sunny day and there was a half moon in the sky. Don't believe me? Take a look at these three pics. I couldn't possibly take everything into one single picture, esp. since I took it with my mobile, but you'll get the idea he he he...








Tonight there's a 3/4 of a moon shining so brightly in the sky. I noticed that it was especially bright when I walked out of my in-laws' house. As some of you know, they have a HUGE field, so I was taken aback when I realized how bright the moon was. During those moonless nights, whenever we walked outside of their house in the dark winter evenings, it was really almost pitch dark outside. Ahhhh...I LOVE moments when I can truly enjoy the beauty of nature he he he...

Anyway, I won't write much here (I PROMISE HI HI HI HI...) so let me just leave you with a message that you've probably read somewhere in the internet, but it's a very good one, so here goes:

Simple Guidelines For Happiness:

1. Free your heart from hate.

2. Free your mind from worry.

3. Live simply.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less.


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Summer Holiday Plans

In many countries, summer months equal holiday and vacation. In Ireland, there are many activities that you can find during summer. Here you can find a list of Ireland Hotels starting from a one-star accommodation up to the five-star one.

Art lovers, you can bask in the glory of Cork Midsummer Festival that offers plenty of programs, such as art, music, dance, circus, and many more. Don't forget to check out this list of Cork Hotels with free extras where you can also find last minute deals.

If you love throbbing nightlife and metropolitan, you can stay in one of the many Dublin Hotels while you roam around the city to enjoy different bars, restaurants, and clubs. And remember that here you can also find National Concert Hall, which is noted to be one of the best in Europe. You can enjoy many different types of music concerts and even musicals in this building.

And how about canoeing in Fermanagh, Belfast? This place is really ideal for canoeing lovers since they can enjoy magnificent lakes on a 50 km canoeing trail. If you're interested in staying in Belfast, consider one of the many Belfast Hotels listed here.

Last but not least, do you know that you can take a scenic tour from Galway by helicopter? If you're into this type of stuff, then here's a link to find Galway Hotels that is suited to your own budget.

Well, if you finally decide on visiting one of the cities in Ireland, I hope that you're going to enjoy your holiday fully!